As Hip-Hop music continues to evolve at a surprisingly rapid pace, many artists find themselves struggling to adapt and either make do with what they know, or throw in the towel altogether and say “Fuck it.” In this dog-eat-dog world that is the Rap race, there’s no such thing as half measures. You either get down or lay down. Adaptation is now the new gold standard. While change can be an audacious and scary move, most artists usually benefit from it.
Hawaiʻi-born, Texas-reared producer-on-the-mic Jim Hurdle can certainly attest to this. While there is an incredible, unique underground scene brewing here in the islands — many Hawaiʻi artists find themselves struggling to break out into the mainland mainstream. There’s a disconcerting disconnect from Hawaiʻi and the “outside world.” Local radio support is deficient — damn near non-existent. Most local rappers rather occupy the small “backpacker” box they’ve been illiberally placed in. That’s fine and all, but how does one expect to put Hawaiʻi on the map?
Luckily, Jim is proficient at maintaining a tactical balance, and may very well hold the key as Hawaiʻi’s new breakout rapper. While not entirely new to the game, the name is definitely fresh to the denizens of the DopeHouse. Today, he makes his debut appearance at 2DopeBoyz with a visual for the bouncy “OK (You Right)” featuring Jerm and J Shiu.
